This is hard-core: The Justice Department just hit Apple with a huge antitrust lawsuit. They say Apple is playing dirty to maintain a monopoly over the smartphone market (and keep its prices high) by smothering the iPhone’s competition. Apple says it’s all about keeping user data safe. Su-u-u-re.
How to remove yourself from US Search
Like it or not, your personal information is online for anyone to find. This can include your full name, address, phone number, police record, employment information and more. People search sites scrape this information from public records, court records, social media and other sources.
Many sites exist solely to offer such services. You only need a small piece of information, such as a person’s phone number, and from there, you can locate more information on them. Tap or click here for our running list of people search sites with instructions for removal.
For this entry in our weekly Opt-Out Tuesday series on removing yourself from people search sites, we’ll show you how to remove yourself from US Search.
Avoid people search sites at all costs, especially if it costs you
Most of these sites are scammy in nature. You may think you’re paying for one report and have been roped into recurring charges. Don’t pay to remove your information from any site. This process must be provided for free, as seen in the steps below.
Do you have older relatives who may not know about these sites? While opting out yourself, why not do the same for them? Just type in their information as you would your own, and follow our steps to completion.
PSA: There’s an easier way
Below, I’ll give you the steps to remove yourself from US Search, but that’s just one of hundreds of such sites. If you want to remove them all in one go, check out Incogni.
Incogni does all that hard work for you. It took me three minutes to complete the sign-up process. Then, they get to work removing you from 180+ sites. After that initial setup, you don’t have to lift a finger. So great.
I have a special deal just for you. Right now, get 60% off an annual subscription using code KIM60.
Pioneering data broker
One of the earliest people search sites is US Search, launched in 1993. The site boasts that you can use it to access billions of records. Like many such sites, this one claims to help you “find long-lost friends and family members.” You can bet those aren’t the only types of people using these sites.
Your car is collecting your personal data, even your sex life
When I read this report, I knew it would be important for you to know even though you do all the right things. You remove the shady apps from your phone and adjust privacy settings on your kid’s smart toys. Heck, you even stop Alexa from saving recorded conversations. You’re all set, right? Just wait until you get into your car.
Revealed: Shopping apps that collect and sell the most data
Spoiler: They are all super data-hungry. New research dove deep into shopping apps that collect sensitive consumer data. It found that 75% of the apps in the study share user data with third parties. Some even share this data with outsiders without informing you. Lovely.
Appliances and smart devices caught spying the MOST
It’s no secret our devices spy on us. The shocker is that it goes way beyond smartphones and laptops. That smart fridge of yours just might be tracking your eating habits and selling them to advertisers. Still want another beer?
It’s the company behind Fortnite: Hackers say they stole 200GB of user data from Epic Games. The data includes emails, passwords and more, all up for grabs. They gave Epic a March 4 deadline to pay a ransom. If you or the kids have an Epic account, now’s a good time to change your password and enable two-factor authorization.
Free VPN caught leaking user data
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Some things aren’t worth trying for free. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is at the top of that list. There’s just too much temptation for cybercriminals to hack into those that aren’t adequately secured or for shady developers to offer “free” software that tracks your every move.
Facebook may owe you money — here's how to claim it
Last year, Facebook settled a $650 million lawsuit with Illinois residents for storing and collecting their biometric data without consent. Here’s how much money people received.
The social media juggernaut just agreed to another settlement. This one’s for $725 million following numerous lawsuits claiming the platform violated users’ privacy. Here’s what you need to know and how to get paid.
Another country just banned TikTok on certain devices - Is it banned in your state?
Social media and video-sharing platform TikTok is fighting an uphill battle to remain available on mobile devices. Calls to ban the app have intensified over the last few months, even though the company assured U.S. senators that it is committed to protecting user data.
Opt-Out Tuesday: How to remove your info from TruthFinder
People search sites advertise as services for finding people you’ve lost touch with.
These sites scrape personal information from local, state and federal public records, court records, social media, data brokers and forums. Tap or click here for detailed instructions for removing your information from these creepy sites.
Have a Twitter account? Your personal info might be included in this leak
When sites and services get popular, they become enormous targets for cybercriminals. Obviously, that’s because there are more potential victims to exploit.
Even though Twitter is going through a rough patch, it still has millions of users globally. That made the Twitter data breach we reported in July frightening for users. In that breach, at least 5.4 million Twitter users had their data exposed. Tap or click here for more details.
Here's everything TikTok collects on you - Delete it now
TikTok has exploded in popularity recently. The video-sharing platform has some fun things to watch, and you might find your next favorite recipe.
The problem is the platform has a shady history with security and privacy. In fact, we recently told you that TikTok has the capability to record everything that you type. Tap or click here for our report.
True or false: Walking 10K steps a day means you'll lose weight
When you look at any fitness gadget or smartwatch, the magic walking distance is around 10,000 steps each day. Many set this as a daily goal you should achieve for increased fitness, leading a healthier lifestyle and losing weight.
Online forms are grabbing your data - even if you don’t hit enter
An effective way to get someone’s opinion on a product or service is to create an online form or survey. Other times, online forms are the preferred way to sign up for newsletters, register an account or buy tickets. Tap or click here for a list of apps that collect the most private data from you.
Check your phone - These prayer and mental health apps fail to protect your data
Think about all the apps on your phone, and how many of them contain potentially sensitive information. You might have social media accounts, banking details and health records.
You might think apps like that would take your personal information seriously – especially when the subject matter can be sensitive. We all know by now that’s definitely not always the case, and plenty of apps have been known to expose user data. And here we go again.
Teenage hackers trick Facebook and Apple into giving up data - Are you at risk?
You’d think the titans of Big Tech would run backup checks on anyone demanding private user data. But last year, we learned just how easy it is to pull the wool over a company’s eyes. A gang of mysterious hackers forged legal requests to trick Google and Meta into sharing user addresses, phone numbers and more.
Facebook's new Privacy Center shows you everything it collects - Here's how to use it
Social media platforms like Facebook are regularly under fire for not doing enough to protect users’ privacy. Many platforms claim they collect data to serve targeted ads and that your information isn’t at risk. Do you believe that?
Mozilla warns: Avoid these 3 messaging apps if you care about privacy
Chatting online isn’t anything new, but the pandemic has fueled the use of video calling and messaging apps. As social distancing began around the country, these apps saw a surge in popularity. Tap or click here to find out which browser is best for your privacy.
Secure email provider ProtonMail just passed user data to police
When you sign up for a free email account, that service comes at the cost of your privacy. Agreeing to the terms and conditions means your provider can track as much as they want, from financial records to private messages. Tap or click here to find out how much your email provider is collecting on you.
20 websites most guilty of tracking what you do online
Thanks to the internet, modern lingo updates itself at the speed of light. Original terms pop up like weeds, and by the time you finally pick them up, you turn around to discover even more concepts have emerged, creating entirely new sentences that wouldn’t make sense in any other context. Case in point: “Cookies are stalking your every click and reporting back on your browsing history.”